Objects from the Victoria and Albert Museum on display at The Herbert

28 November 2013

Two prints by the renowned artist Henri Matisse are among 17 objects from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection that have just gone on display at the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry.

The items are on display throughout the museum, and are on loan to the Herbert from the V&A until March 2015, as part of the Museums and Schools programme which is funded by the Department for Education, administrated by Arts Council England.All of the items have been specially chosen to fit the themes of the Herbert’s permanent galleries, and to bring some of the V&A’s treasures to Coventry for local people to enjoy. 

The Museums and Schools programme, which has enabled the loans to come to the city, is a three-year initiative which has linked Coventry Transport Museum and the Herbert with the V&A in London, to encourage more school pupils to visit museums more regularly. The loans serve to strengthen the Herbert’s displays and attract school pupils and other visitors to the museum. The new objects are displayed within permanent exhibitions throughout the museum, so that as many pupils as possible will experience them.  For example, students learning about the medieval period will be able to see tableware and jewellery from the V&A's collections alongside those from the Herbert’s collection, and similar connections are made in the Victorian and twentieth century sections of the History Gallery. Sculpture, ceramics and other artworks from the V&A complement the existing displays in the Herbert's permanent art galleries.

Alison Taylor, Learning and Inclusion Manager at the Herbert, said:

“We are thrilled to have these wonderful objects from the V&A collect ion available here in Coventry for visitors to enjoy.  A lot of work has gone into selecting objects that complement and enhance the Herbert’s permanent collections, and the V&A items look absolutely stunning in the galleries.  Through the Museums and Schools project we have already welcomed thousands of extra pupils to the Herbert and the Transport Museum, and we are confident that these items and related learning opportunities will encourage even more schools to use Coventry museums to bring the curriculum to life.”

Martin Roth, V&A Director said:

The V&A is delighted to be a partner in this excellent project which seeks to encourage more pupils to visit their local museums in Coventry.  We are always looking for ways to enhance our national work and Coventry, with its rich design heritage, is a really fitting partner for the V&A.  We are grateful to the Department for Education and the Arts Council for the funding and we are so pleased to be able to lend these treasures in order to open up the V&A's collections to the widest possible audience.  I look forward to seeing these objects incorporated into the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum's schools' sessions, as well as continuing to welcome groups of Coventry-based children to the V&A for inspiration visits as part of the Museums and Schools programme.

School pupils will soon be able to explore the items through a self-led trail using iPads, available free with any paid activity session at the museum.